Rodger Starblade knelt in a patch of foliage as his men quietly advanced into the Elven Woods. After watching everyone pass by his position, the wiry fighter motioned to his second-in-command, Victoria, then followed the raiders into the towering trees. After several minutes of agile running, Rodger knelt near the edge of a clearing, and examined the Elven village before him. The raider counted only two sentries standing together at the edge of the settlement. With a quick slash of his right hand, Rodger signaled his men to flank the village from east and west. Rodger glanced quickly behind his shoulder to make sure Victoria and the three men on his team were still with him, then he returned his gaze to the target.

The raider watched as two of his men advanced stealthily on the two sentries and quickly slit their throats. The men dragged the Elf corpses into the woods and hid them as Rodger signaled the rest of his men to attack. The raiders screamed at the top of their lungs as they charged into the village, killing the Elvish males and knocking the Elvish females unconscious. Rodger ran to the edge of the settlement, unsheathing his long sword and smiling with battle lust. An Elvish male jumped in front of the raider and brandished a short sword, then slashed quickly at his enemy. Rodger dodged the blow, then parried several others with his own blade. As the Elf gasped for breath, the raider stabbed forward with his sword, impaling his foe in the stomach. The dying Elf gurgled briefly, then fell limply to the ground. Rodger progressed carefully into the village, stopping in the main square. He watched casually as Victoria slashed open the stomach of another Elvish male, then wiped her sword on the body’s shirt. The surviving raiders slowly entered the square, pushing whimpering Elf girls before them. Within several of the cottages, the screams of Elvish women could be heard, followed by deathly silence. Victoria examined the prisoners, then talked briefly with her fellow raiders. Finishing her questioning, the female raider approached Rodger and smiled at her leader.

"The men report that the village is secure. They captured all of the marketable females, then had some fun with the unusable ones," reported Victoria coolly.

"I gathered that was the source of the screams," replied Rodger. "Bind the Elf bitches, then have the men torch the buildings. We have to get out of here before a patrol arrives."

"Yes, my lord," acknowledged Victoria with a grin. The lithe Elf woman shouted at the men watching the prisoners, then organized fire teams to set fire to the buildings of the settlement. Rodger smiled in satisfaction as he watched the fragile homes of the Elves burn in bright pyres of flame.

The raiders set camp for the night on the open plain, west of the Green Water river. The fire was kept low, and the men drank greedily from stolen flasks of Elvish wine. Rodger rested within his large tent, drinking slowly from a silver chalice. The Elf woman, Victoria, entered the tent and reclined on some cushions near Rodger’s feet. She ran her delicate hands through her long, black hair, then helped herself to a mug of wine. "The men are settled in for the night. I allowed them a barrel of wine and two Elf girls to play with," said the woman with a malicious grin. "Good. We have to keep the grunts happy," remarked Rodger as he gulped down the rest of his drink. He refilled his chalice from a nearby pitcher as Victoria untied her leather halter top and pulled it off, revealing her round, creamy breasts.

"You have to keep me happy too, my lord," whispered Victoria in a husky voice as she pulled off her skintight leather breeches. "As you wish, my lady," nodded Rodger as he untied his breeches and let his slack penis fall free.

The raven-haired Elf woman crawled over to Rodger and knelt between his open legs. She grabbed his flaccid tool with both hands, then slowly began stroking it up and down. The raider smiled as the naked Elf woman leaned forward to suck lightly on the head of his cock, then plunge it deeply down her throat. Rodger clasped his hands around the woman’s head as she moved her warm mouth up and down his hardening rod. She moaned softly with pleasure as she sucked hungrily on the man’s meat, then began to lick his balls with her moist tongue. Rodger stroked the naked woman’s soft, black hair as she licked up the shaft of his cock, then sucked deeply on the sensitive head. Her wet tongue swirled around his penis, entwining around it like a snake. The raider grunted as he began to thrust his cock deeper into her mouth, filling it with his tool. Victoria gagged softly as she tried to take his engorged rod into her throat, her tongue caressing the hot flesh lovingly. The aroused Elf woman squeezed her large, firm tits with both hands, pinching her nipples until they grew hard and erect.

Victoria pulled away from Rodger’s cock before he orgasmed, then stood up to press her naked body against her lover’s. The raider’s chainmail shirt bit into the Elf woman’s tender flesh as he squeezed her firm ass and licked in-between her heaving breasts. Rodger began to suck lustfully on Victoria’s tits, stuffing his mouth with her sweet flesh. The Elf woman moaned loudly as he licked her hard nipples and fingered her wet pussy with his left hand. Victoria kissed Rodger passionately on the mouth, caressing the inside of his jaws with her tongue, then she climbed onto the man’s lap, her slim legs spread apart.

Rodger moved his erect cock across the quivering lips of Victoria’s pussy, then inserted his rod into her tight love hole. The Elf woman moaned as she felt her lover’s penis enter her vagina, then she began to grind her hips into the sitting man’s crotch. Rodger hugged the naked Elf woman close to his body as he thrust his cock into her pussy and continued to suck wantonly on her firm breasts. Victoria cried out with each pump of Rodger’s rod, her naked body gleaming with sweat. The raider licked the flesh under the woman’s tits, then watched the ecstatic expression on her face as he fucked her cunt harder and harder. The Elf woman wrapped her arms around Rodger’s neck and pressed his face into her tits as she pumped her pussy onto his penis faster. The man and woman both grunted with effort and pleasure as their crotches grinded into each other, then they spasmed as orgasms hit both of them. Victoria panted loudly as she felt Rodger’s seed in her warm fuck hole, then her own orgasm smashed into her brain.

Rodger kissed the Elf woman roughly on the mouth, thrusting his tongue past her slack lips. She returned his kiss enthusiastically, then allowed the raider to lick her slim neck and heaving breasts. Victoria stood up from her lover’s lap, then walked to the pile of cushions on the floor and flopped limply on top of them. Rodger refilled her mug with wine, then leaned down from his chair to give it to her. After she accepted his offering, the raider leaned back to think.

"Tomorrow I think we’ll travel northeast. Elm is too close to sell this latest batch, we need to get further away from Elven wood," said Rodger thoughtfully.

"Rapids, then?" asked Victoria before she sipped her wine. "Yes. It’s a longer journey, but worth the effort. Besides, this will allow us an opportunity to sample the merchandise. I may even keep one," remarked Rodger with an evil smile.

The following night, Rodger, Victoria and the raiders walked steadily northeast to the city of Rapids. The travelers stayed within sight of the mighty Green Water river, and used the gleaming stars to navigate. Rodger’s men had encountered no soldiers of the Royal Army, nor patrols from Rapids’ garrison. The bandit leader ordered scouts to proceed ahead of the main group, to insure that he did not encounter any unwelcome travel parties. The night passed uneventfully, and Victoria remarked that they should reach Rapids by the following dawn. As the sun began to ascend in the east, Rodger began telling the men to make a discreet camp. The raven-haired Elf woman alerted Rodger as a group of mounted soldiers approached from the southwest. "Those look like soldiers from Elm," remarked Rodger casually.

"What are they doing so far from home?" asked Victoria with concern. "They must have picked up our trail near Elven Wood and followed us here," replied Rodger as he drew his long sword and signaled his men to him. "Men, I want everyone to spread out and keep to the ground. I’ll keep the leader busy, then give you the signal to attack. Go now!"

Rodger’s bandits moved quickly to obey their leader, spreading out in a crescent formation, then kneeling low in the surrounding grass. Rodger gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in his right hand as he walked forward to greet the advancing horsemen. Victoria walked behind and to the left of her lord, clutching the hilt of her short sword that rested in its sheath. "Hail, fellow travelers!" shouted Rodger as the leader of the riders reined his steed to a stop.

"What is your name and business?" asked the soldier leader gruffly. "My name is Radgar, and I’m escorting these lovely Elven women to the great city of Rapids, my lord," replied Rodger with an eager grin. "I am Captain Horner, and I command the third mounted squad of the Elm calvary," declared the horseman tightly. "My unit came across a burned Elven village near the border of Elven Wood. We discovered a series of tracks that led us to your group, which indicates that you were responsible for the raid. I’m afraid that you will have to accompany us to Elm for further questioning." The soldier motioned to the twelve men behind him, and they began to encircle their horses around the clustered group of Elf girls and their guards. Rodger waited until they had split up to encircle his slaves, then he impaled his drawn sword into the ground. The hidden raiders jumped up from the grass and charged the surprised horsemen. Swords gleamed in the dawn’s light as the bandits stabbed and slashed at the soldiers of Elm. The Elf girls screamed in fear as blades flashed and chimed, then ran red with blood as the raiders cut down the uncoordinated soldiers. The leader of the squad drew his sword as Rodger ran up to his left flank and stabbed forward with his blade, piercing his victim’s chainmail. The man screamed in agony, then fell limply from his steed. Rodger ran behind the stolid horse, then impaled the fallen warrior’s stomach with his sword until the prone man lay still. The bandit leader quickly mounted the snorting horse, then rode quickly to aid his men as they finished slaying the soldiers that remained around the slaves. None of the horsemen survived the surprise attack, and Rodger wasted no time in recovering the abandoned mounts. The bandits stripped the soldiers of their weapons and armor, then each claimed a horse for transport. Victoria rode slowly towards Rodger on a black stallion, grinning happily. "Now we can travel to Rapids in style," remarked the Elf woman. "No, I don’t think so," replied Rodger thoughtfully. "If the Elm calvary tracked us down, the Elves won’t be far behind. We won’t go to Rapids, it’s too dangerous now."

"Then where?" asked Victoria. "There aren’t too many good markets for slaves."

"We’ll ride northwest to the Chasm. I know about a black market camp just north of Sentinel Keep where we can ditch the Elf bitches and make some gold," responded Rodger with a greedy smile.

"What about the calvary garrison in Sentinel? They’re even worse than the Elm troops," said Victoria.

"I’ll think of something," promised Rodger.

Emperor Blackheart Darkblade sat pensively on his stone-carven throne as he awaited the report of his generals. The darkly handsome man raised a silver chalice to his lips as the huge double doors of the Audience Chamber opened and a group of three cloaked soldiers walked to the foot of the throne. "Hail to the Emperor and the Empire!" shouted all three men together.

"Report! What is the status of the army?" asked Blackheart impatiently. "Ten companies of infantry have been assembled and sent to Vanguard Keep," replied General Dyth.

"That’s all!" exclaimed the Emperor.

"We’re training more recruits now, but it will take time to make them combat worthy," replied General Zodan.

"Very well, the invasion must begin now. Take the army and lay siege to Sentinel. When the fortress has been destroyed, all of King Flannar’s western lands will be ripe for conquest. Send me regular reports by pigeon with the status of your attack," commanded Blackheart firmly. "As you wish, my lord," acknowledged all three generals as they bowed together, then left the large Audience Chamber. "Armies and swords will never give you claim to the rich lands of the east," said a soft, husky voice behind the throne.

"Gema, haven’t I told you never to eavesdrop on my meetings," replied Blackheart wearily.

"How else can I keep up with the news of the empire?" asked Gema as she moved to stand before her older brother.

"I’ll tell you what you need to know, woman," retorted the Emperor as he drank in his sister’s beauty. The young woman had long, fiery, red hair and creamy, white skin. Her eyes sparkled with jade, and her body was slim and shapely. She wore a sleek, black dress that hugged her lithe form, then trailed behind her small, delicate feet. Gema smiled with her luscious, red lips, then knelt before her brother.

"Help me to free the magick, and I will aide you in your quest to destroy King Flannar and take his lands," offered Gema in a whisper. "Sister dear, I’ve humored you quite a lot already. I’ve spent hundreds of gold marks acquiring your books of magick and lore, not to mention all the equipment in your ’lab’. I prefer to try the direct, simple approach before I consider the outlandish scheme you’ve devised," replied Blackheart pragmatically.

"If that’s your final decision, then I wouldn’t dream to question you," said Gema with a disarming smile. "However, I will remind you of my idea when your army lies broken and dead upon the field of battle. Victory can only be achieved by freeing the Dragon."

"Enough talk, wench," growled Blackheart as he pulled Gema against his chest and kissed her roughly on the mouth. The young woman moaned softly, then leaned forward into her brother’s strong embrace, returning his kiss with equal passion. Blackheart tore his sister’s dress away from her pale shoulders, then bent down to lick the warm flesh of her breasts. Gema closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure as her brother began to suck on her firm tits. He closed his hands around her shapely buttocks and squeezed them tightly as he feasted on her sweet flesh. Blackheart sucked hard on her pert nipples, then bit them painfully until they grew hard and firm.

Gema nuzzled her brother’s long, black hair, then kissed down his cold, black, metal breastplate until she reached his crotch. Unfastening the metal cup that protected his privates, Gema proceeded to untie his breeches, then release her lord’s growing penis. Blackheart smiled coldly as he watched his lovely sister take his cock into her delicate hands and caress his meat lovingly. She lowered her head to his tool, then took it into her warm mouth. Blackheart groaned with pleasure as she sucked hungrily on his cock, moving up and down the shaft while caressing it with her tongue. The warrior grabbed Gema’s head with both hands, then forced her mouth harder upon his engorged penis, making her take it deeply into her throat. Gema squeezed her own round breasts as she sucked lustfully on her brother’s cock, then licked along its shaft till she reached his balls.

Blackheart pulled the nearly naked girl to her feet, then pulled the remainder of the dress from her shapely hips and tossed the torn garment to the stone floor. He turned his naked sister till her back faced him, then he made her bend at the waist, forcing her ass and pussy to thrust in his direction. Blackheart caressed the smooth flesh of Gema’s ass lovingly, then ran his gloved fingers over her wet pussy. Gema moaned softly as her brother fingered her cunt, then he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her snatch onto his hard cock. The naked girl gasped for air as Blackheart thrust his rod deeply into her tight pussy. The young woman’s breasts jiggled up and down as she pushed her crotch harder onto her brother’s tool. Gema’s naked body glistened with sweat as Blackheart fucked her like one of his harem girls. The Emperor panted loudly as he pumped his cock into his naked sister’s vice-like cunt. He ran his metal-encased hands over the naked flesh of Gema’s stomach and thighs, then grunted as he shot cum into her warm vagina. Gema moaned loudly as she reached her own orgasm and trickled a thin stream of honey down her thighs. Blackheart pushed the naked girl off of his penis, then bent down to lick his sister’s sweet jism with his tongue. He licked up the sweaty flesh of her slim legs, then burrowed his mouth in the girl’s throbbing snatch, drinking her cum wantonly. Gema moaned as her brother ate out her cunt, her pleasure forcing her to push her crotch against his searching lips. When the Emperor had finished drinking his sister’s honey, he pushed her away from the throne and refastened his codpiece.

"Return to your studies, Gema," ordered Blackheart. "If I decide to implement your fantastic scheme, I’ll send for you."

"Your wish is my command, brother," replied Gema with a triumphant grin as she bent low to pick up her torn dress, then exited the chamber with swaying hips.

Rodger’s band stopped within sight of the black market camp, which sprawled like a wilting flower upon the grassy plain. To the west of the camp was the Chasm, a great rift that separated the fertile lands of the East from the desolate, mountainous regions of the West. With a flick of his reins, Rodger led the mounted raiders and the stumbling Elf women into the boisterous tent city. The smells of cooking meat, unwashed bodies, and various addictive drugs assaulted the party as they traveled deeper into the camp. Whores and drug pushers vied for the attentions of the bandits until Rodger reached an intersection of roads and turned his horse to the southern street. After passing several brothels and shops, the raiders entered another market square, this time with a wooden dais in its center. A lean, heavily scarred man dressed in leather armor emerged from a nearby tent and strode up to Rodger. "Looks like you hit it lucky," said the man as he gazed coolly at the Elven women chained together.

"Yes, I was very fortunate," replied Rodger with a smile. "I was hoping that the two of us could make a deal."

"I think that an exchange could be arranged," agreed the slaver. "How much are ya asking?"

"Ten thousand gold crowns," replied Rodger.

"Ten thousand? That’s a pretty big hunk of change. I’ll have to think about that one," said the slaver hesitantly.

"Don’t think too long. I’m sure there are plenty of other slavers here that would jump at the chance to buy some high-quality Elven slave girls. They’re very hard to get, you know," remarked Rodger casually. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Give me twelve hours, and I’ll get the money for ya," replied the slaver with a scowl.

"Thank you. As always, it’s a pleasure doing business with you," said Rodger with a smile as he directed four of his men to escort the Elven women to the slave pens. The grizzled slaver spat on the ground, then returned to his soiled tent. Rodger dismissed the remainder of his band, then directed his horse to a nearby tavern, with Victoria trailing behind him.

Governor Nightmane stood upon the battlements of Sentinel Keep that faced the evil lands of the West. The leader of Sentinel’s garrison was in her mid-thirties, with long, black hair that hung to her waist. She wore a shining suit of silver platemail, and carried a jeweled long sword on her shapely hip. Tonight, the warrior woman wore her raven hair in an intricate braid that ran down her back. As she gazed at the dark horizon, and the tall mountains beyond the Chasm, small lights began to appear in the distance. With dawning horror, Nightmane watched as the Army of Night spilled across the plain in front of the fortress and began to encircle it. Alarm horns sounded across the battlements of the mighty keep as soldiers rushed to fill their posts and prepare Sentinel’s defenses.

"What are you orders, my lady?" asked a panting guard who stumbled to a stop next to the governor.

"Arm the ballistas and move the archers into position. Send a flock of messenger birds to the east in order to inform King Flannar that the West has invaded. Quickly now!" ordered Nightmane tersely. The guard saluted briefly, then rushed to carry out his orders. Nightmane turned to watch as the army began setting up catapults, ladders, and rams for the eventual assault. "Those stupid bastards never learn," muttered Nightmane with a shake of her head.

"The troops are in position and the siege engines are being assembled," reported a captain.

"Good. Tell the artillery commanders that I want them to begin launching flame loads as soon as the catapults are ready," ordered General Dyth. "Yessir!" replied the officer before he ran into the night. "Shouldn’t we wait till dawn?" asked General Jordan. "The spotters won’t be able to see a thing in this darkness."

"I’m not trying to do any damage right now," replied Dyth calmly as he sat upon a stool and examined a map of the area. "Right now, surprise is on our side. The defenders are still in shock over seeing our army, and I want to heighten their tension. If we’re lucky, the leader of the garrison will overreact and do something foolish, like lead an attack out of the fortress." "I doubt that she will do that. Everything I hear says that Nightmane is a level-headed and intelligent commander," said Jordan. "Maybe. You never know what someone will do unless you test them," replied Dyth.

"Isn’t ten companies a little light when attacking a fortified position like this?" asked Jordan as he sat down on a nearby stool. "I mean, after all, during the Succession War, we had over a hundred thousand troops, and we still couldn’t take the Sentinel or keep control of the surrounding countryside. How can we succeed with one thousand now where we couldn’t with ten times that amount before?" asked Jordan.

"For one thing, the garrison in Sentinel right now isn’t as large as it used to be. Our spies reported that the fortress only has about four hundred defenders in it," replied Dyth as a servant girl arrived and poured the two generals some wine from a silver flagon. "Good King Flannar has had trouble justifying a large standing army since we haven’t attacked in the last seven years. The Royal Army is only a third of its prior strength, which means it will take longer for them to respond to our invasion. If we can take Sentinel quickly, we can use it against the King’s own army and open the way for total conquest. We have to take this fortress first, however." "I see," said Jordan before he sipped his wine. "What do you want me to do?" "Maintain your position on the left flank for now. After the siege has drawn on for awhile, I’ll want you to patrol the region and keep an eye out for the Royal Army. If Flannar becomes rash, he may send the army in piecemeal, which will allow us the perfect opportunity to destroy it." "I’ll return to my troops then," replied Jordan as he set down his cup then walked away from Dyth’s large, black tent. The older general set his map of the fortress on a nearby table, then began to make notes on the parchment with a quill pen.

Men screamed in fear as the first fiery projectiles slammed into the walls of Sentinel Keep. Governor Nightmane held tightly onto the stone crenallations as the entire length of the western wall shook under the impact. Five fireballs hurled from the Army of Night’s position and smashed into the aging rock, knocking men helplessly into the main courtyard. "Shall we send out a sortie to knock out the catapults?" asked a nearby officer.

"No. We stay here in the keep where we have the advantage. Order the gunners to get the range of those artillery positions and open fire with the ballista," ordered Nightmane.

"The catapults are probably out of range," remarked the officer. "Yes, but we might get lucky. Go," replied the governor. The nervous officer quickly saluted before rushing to obey his leader. Nightmane turned to observe the enemy as it continued to assault the walls with flame bolts. "Good ploy, but I’m not falling for it," whispered Nightmane with a grin.

The Army of Night continued the barrage all night. The men guarding the battlements grew increasingly tense and short-tempered as the fiery missiles slammed into the thick walls of the keep. Nightmane did her best to maintain morale, and hoped that King Flannar would respond quickly. Although many of the messenger birds had been shot down by enemy arrows, two managed to escape the siege and fly swiftly to River Towers, the capital of the Eastern Lands. The shining city sat near a branching point of the White Water river. Just south of the capital, the mighty river split into two smaller rivers that emptied into the surging ocean of the south. Many elegant towers rose from the capital, standing like proud guardians over the jewel of the East. At the center of the city was the Royal Palace, center of government and home to King Flannar, his wife, and his daughter, Princess Hophena. Two days after the siege of Sentinel had begun, a nervous aide rushed into the audience hall of the King and kneeled before the white, marble throne. "Your highness, an urgent message from Sentinel Keep," declared the aide loudly.

"Give it to me," commanded the King wearily.

The aide gave the King a wrapped parchment scroll, then knelt awaiting the ruler’s pleasure. The aging monarch untied the silk cord, then quickly scanned through the scroll’s contents.

"Summon my generals here immediately," ordered the King tersely.

"Yes, my liege," replied the aide before he practically ran out of the hall. "What is it, father?" asked Princess Hophena who sat in the Queen’s Chair to the left of the throne.

"Sentinel Keep is under attack. That fool Blackheart wants to start another war," replied Flannar bitterly.

"You’ll beat him, father. You always do," said the Princess confidently. "I wish I was as certain as you, my dear," remarked the King as he glanced at his daughter affectionately.

"Perhaps we could reach a settlement with Emperor Blackheart," suggested Lord Mordran with a sly grin.

"I very much doubt it," replied the King with a withering glance towards Mordran. "I told you that if we reduced the size of the army, Darkblade would make a grab for more territory."

"At the time, the Emperor seemed quite content with the size of his realm. Besides, the money we saved has proven quite useful in improving trade and strengthening the economy," said Mordran smugly. "Not to mention filling your own coffers," muttered Flannar. The white-haired ruler continued to scowl at his nobles until the double doors of the hall opened and a group of the generals from the Royal Army strode boldly to the throne.

"You sent for us, your majesty?" asked General Sath with a bow. "Yes, I did. How much time do you need to mobilize the Royal Army?" inquired the King.

"That’s a difficult question to answer, your majesty," replied Sath. "The Army is scattered throughout the Realm, guarding Anvil, Rapids, and both port cities. At a guess, I say that it would take about a month to gather any kind of sizable force. Do you want me to issue a recall to the capital?" "No. I want you to send all units to Sentinel directly. We can’t afford the time it would take to mobilize here, then march all the way to the Keep. Send those movement orders immediately."

"Your majesty, if Emperor Blackheart has the number of men he possessed in the last war, they’ll grind our reinforcements into the dirt. We should gather our troops into one effective force, then attack Darkblade’s army," suggested Sath reasonably.

"If you can coordinate a link-up near Sentinel, then do so. It’s imperative that we send reinforcements to Nightmane before the Keep falls, otherwise the way will be open for the Army of Night to invade the whole of the East. Implement my wishes, general," commanded Flannar. "As you command, your majesty," acknowledged General Sath as he bowed at the waist, then led the lesser generals from the audience hall.

Rodger Starblade stumbled from the tavern tent carrying a half-empty flask of wine. The brown- haired bandit leader made his way unsteadily to the brothel tent he had seen Victoria enter several hours ago. After paying the door guard two gold crowns from a fat beltpouch, Rodger entered the tent and widened his eyes in wonder.

A naked girl about nineteen years old was lashed between two wide wooden tent stakes. She had long, blonde hair that spilled like molten gold to her bare ass. Sweat glistened on her naked, white skin, and she panted loudly for breath. Victoria stood near the doorway, dressed in a black, leather bodysuit that pressed like a second skin against her frame. She wore stiletto-heeled shoes, and carried a long, leather whip lightly in her right hand. The leather-clad Elf woman smiled warmly at Rodger as he entered the tent, then she lashed out with the whip, smacking the bound girl’s bare back. The young, blonde girl shouted with pain and pleasure as Victoria whipped her back and ass dozens of times. The bound girl’s firm breasts heaved up and down as she panted deeply. Rodger sat down in a nearby chair, then watched with amusement as Victoria lashed her whip across the helpless girl’s naked body. The girl screamed and moaned loudly with each blow of the whip, then she licked her moist, red lips in arousal.

The Elf woman put down the whip, and retrieved a long, finely carved wooden dildo. She approached the gasping girl slowly, then caressed the bound female’s naked body with her gloved hands. The prisoner moaned softly with pleasure as Victoria stroked the flesh of her breasts and stomach. The Elf woman ran the dildo over the girl’s ass and inner thighs, then caressed the blonde girl’s wet pussy. Victoria slowly inserted the wooden dildo into her victim’s cunt as she squeezed the bound girl’s tits tightly. The girl moaned loudly as the Elf woman thrust the dildo deeply into her vagina, then began moving the rod in and out of her tight love hole. As Victoria knelt beneath the moaning girl’s pussy and concentrated on probing her wet cunt with the hard dildo, Rodger staggered up from his chair and walked to stand in front of the naked prisoner. He ran his rough hands over the girl’s soft, creamy breasts, then moved his hand down her tight stomach to her bush of blonde pubic hair. The girl parted her red lips with pleasure as the bandit caressed her naked body, then moaned as Rodger kissed her roughly on the mouth. He thrust his tongue past her slack lips and explored her mouth and throat hungrily. The naked girl returned his kiss with equal passion and entwined her tongue with his. Rodger squeezed and caressed the blonde girl’s heaving tits, then leaned down to suck on them lustfully. The girl smiled with pleasure as the raider devoured her mounds, then licked up the valley between them.

Victoria fucked the naked girl with the dildo until she orgasmed, spurting warm cum over the wooden rod. The Elf woman quickly pulled out the tool, then leaned forward to suck all of the girl’s honey with her eager mouth. The bound girl trembled in ecstasy as Victoria probed deeply into her cunt with a wet tongue, drinking all of her fluids with relish. When the Elf woman had drank her fill, she collapsed onto a pile of soft pillows while Rodger moved to stand behind the helpless fuck slave. The raider untied his leather breeches, then released his engorged cock. He ran his tool across the blonde girl’s quivering pussy lips, then inserted his meat into her. The girl moaned loudly as Rodger thrust deeply into her snatch, smacking his crotch against her firm ass. The girl dangled limply by the wrists as the raider pushed into her vagina, grasping her shapely hips for leverage. Rodger fucked the naked girl’s pussy for several minutes, then shot his load into her, filling her tight hole with his seed. After pumping a few more times against the blonde girl’s ass, the raider withdrew his cock and retied his breeches shut. Victoria unbound the naked girl, then gave her a small sack of gold. The beautiful whore kissed the Elf woman deeply on the mouth, then pulled on a robe and left the tent. "You sure know how to pick them," gasped Rodger as he reclined next to Victoria and hugged her close.

"Thank you, love," replied the Elf woman with a smile as she snuggled closer against her lord.

The sun was at its summit when General Dyth ordered the charge. One thousand men ran at breakneck speed towards the high walls of Sentinel Keep. Upon the battlements, Governor Nightmane watched the enemy advance towards her with cold, blue eyes. In moments, the soldiers of the Army of Night had reached the base of the fortress and began throwing ladders and ropes at the stone walls. "Archers, fire!" shouted Nightmane with a downward chop of her left hand. Scores of bowmen upon the battlements drew back their bowstrings and fired deadly war arrows at the ascending invaders. Men screamed as the barbed arrowheads smashed through their armor and dug deeply into their flesh. Dozens of attackers died from the missile barrage, but the Army continued its assault. A large battering ram charged against the main gates of Sentinel Keep and slammed into the sturdy iron portals. Archers shot clouds of deadly shafts at the siege engine, but the heavy armor protected the invaders as they drew back the mighty spike and smashed it into the doors again. Nightmane ran towards one of the main guardhouses upon the wall as two flame bolts smashed into the battlements, killing several defenders.

"Get a ballista trained on that ram!" screamed the governor as a fireball engulfed the northern guardhouse and ignited it into a sphere of flaming death. The defensive wall shuddered at the force of the blast, but did not hinder the soldiers who aimed a large ballista down at the smashing ram and fired a massive bolt. The tree-sized missile smashed through the ram’s armor, killing everyone inside. The ballista bolt nailed the siege engine in place like a tack on a sheet of parchment. The invaders began to retreat in small groups at first, but soon the entire Army was fleeing in panic. "Shall we send out the garrison to finish the job?" asked an officer eagerly. "No, the enemy still outnumbers us heavily. Our best option is to stay here and wait for reinforcements," replied Nightmane thoughtfully. "This should buy us some much needed time."

"Son of a bitch!" swore Dyth as he stalked across the floor of his tent. "I was sure that we almost had them!"

"Evidently not," replied General Jordan as he reclined in a nearby field chair.

"We’ll have to continue the bombardment until all of those damn ballista are destroyed," said Dyth as he sat next to Jordan and poured them both cups of wine.

"That will take time, my lord," retorted Jordan. "King Flannar is sure to have reinforcements here in a week or less."

"No, we have at least a month. All of our intelligence reports say that the Royal Army is scattered throughout the Eastern realm, it will take quite a while for them to assemble any kind of effective force," replied Dyth before he took a long gulp from his cup.

"They won’t need to gather too many troops, our forces are a joke compared to the size of the Royal Army," remarked Jordan bitterly. "Ah, but they will assume that our army is far larger, on par with our numbers from the last invasion. They’ll be cautious and move slowly, which is to our advantage," said General Dyth.

"I hope that you’re right," replied Jordan. "What do you want me to do now?" "Take two squads and patrol the region to the north. Make sure that any reinforcements Flannar sends don’t try to flank us. If you can, try to take some prisoners and gather some more horses, we could use some mounted troops right about now," said Dyth seriously.

"Yes, sir," returned Jordan as he saluted smartly, then quickly left the General’s tent. The tall, handsome officer untied his steed from a nearby tent stake, then rode quickly to his command that guarded the left flank of the Army. An aide blew a signal horn, summoning the general’s officers to his position.

"I want two squads to accompany me on a recon of the north. Pick two units that didn’t see much action, I want fresh soldiers for this mission," said General Jordan firmly. Two officers volunteered their squads, and Jordan nodded in agreement. In twenty minutes, Jordan rode away from the Army of Night and the besieged Keep with twenty-five grim soldiers dressed in black, spiked platemail.

It was several hours after noon when Rodger and Victoria stopped by a vendor to buy sandwiches and a flask of cool ale. The couple took their lunch and walked to the southern edge of the tent city to eat in relative privacy. The raider and the Elf woman ate in silence for some time, sharing the ale without comment. Victoria cleaned her red lips with a cloth napkin, then turned to Rodger.

"What are we going to do next?" asked the Elf woman curiously. "I hadn’t really thought about it. After I pay the men off, I suppose that the two of us could take a vacation somewhere. How about taking a ship to the southeast islands? The weather’s nice and warm, and the women are very friendly," replied Rodger with a lecherous grin. "I swear. All you think about is sex," muttered Victoria with a shake of her raven hair.

"Oh, like you don’t," retorted the raider. "Well? What’s your great idea?" "Couldn’t we go to the capital, or to New Hope? I’ve never been to those cities before," suggested Victoria.

"Are you nuts? With our records?" exclaimed Rodger. "The Royal Army would have us in chains in a day!"

"We’d be disguised, stupid!" retorted Victoria with a frown. "We have enough money to buy some rich clothes and pretend to be nobles. The Royal Army wouldn’t dare to mess with nobility."

"Umm, you got a point there," replied Rodger thoughtfully. "I’ll have to sleep on it."

"You do that," said Victoria sharply as she turned away from her lover and gazed at the southern horizon. The two companions had laid indolently upon the soft grass all afternoon, and now the sun had begun to set in the west. As the fiery orb descended behind the western mountains, Victoria could just make out a band of armored men approaching the tent camp. "Rodger, do you see those soldiers?" asked the Elf woman tightly. "No, I don’t see anything," replied the raider as he gazed intently to the south.

"Well, I do. I think that we better go round up the boys," said Victoria as she rose quickly to her feet.

"That might be hard to do. The men are spread out all over the place, I only saw two or three in the last few days that we’ve been here," replied Rodger as he stood up slowly.

Suddenly, screams emerged from the west, where tall columns of smoke began to appear. Watching closely, the two raiders saw several flaming arrows fall out of the sky and strike tents on the edge of the encampment. The dry canvas lit up quickly, and soon a dozen tents were engulfed in flames. Rodger and Victoria hid inside a dwelling near their lunch spot, and watched quietly as the soldiers from the south drew their weapons and entered the makeshift town, cutting down anyone who got in their way. Two soldiers dressed in spiked, black platemail pushed their way into the companions’ tent, searching for prey. Rodger slammed his right knee into one man’s stomach, then pushed him into the dirt. Victoria drew a slim dirk from her left sleeve and stabbed her target in the neck several times with quick thrusts. Blood spurted from the soldier’s severed artery as he clutched his neck weakly, then fell to the ground. Rodger kicked his fallen adversary in the ribs, then smashed his boot into the fallen man’s face. As the soldier grunted with pain, Rodger drew his long sword and stabbed the man in the stomach until he stopped moving. The companions quickly returned to the tent flap and watched as the black-armored soldiers killed the inhabitants of the black market camp.

A darkly, handsome officer rode into the camp wearing black armor and a sheathed sword at his hip. He had long, brown hair tied into a ponytail that hung down his back. The officer’s gleaming hazel eyes looked upon the destruction of the tent city dispassionately. A foot soldier rushed up to the officer and spoke quickly to him, then led the way to the slave square, where several prisoners had been detained.

"What do we do?" whispered Victoria into Rodger’s ear.

"We wait," replied the raider quietly.

"The target has been secured, sir," replied a young captain proudly. "Good work, captain," replied General Jordan as he gazed coldly at the huddled group of whores and slaves standing before him. "Send a team throughout the camp to recover anything of value. I especially want to recover as many horses as possible."

"I’ll see to it," said the captain as he quickly saluted, then strode away to collect his subordinates.

General Jordan sat patiently on his horse as his men quickly stripped the camp of valuables, including several chests of gold crowns, jewels, weapons, and over a score of mounts. The soldiers each claimed a steed of their own, then proceeded to load saddlebags with their newfound wealth. Out of the corner of his eye, Jordan saw a man and woman silently leave a tent and attempt to escape to the south.

"Get those two! They’re escaping south!" shouted Jordan as he pointed his sword towards the escapees.

Four soldiers on horseback quickly spurred their horses south in pursuit of the fleeing couple. Jordan rode his own steed after his men as they surrounded the two companions and readied their weapons. The woman threw a knife in one quick flash, impaling one trooper in the throat. As the dead man fell limply off of his steed, the male advanced on another soldier and began to trade sword blows with him. The chainmail-garbed warrior stabbed the soldier in the stomach, then slashed upwards across the rider’s chest, spewing blood in a glittering arc. The woman drew her own short sword, then slashed open the chest of a nearby rider’s steed, which promptly fell onto its knees, discarding its rider upon the ground. The woman moved in a blur towards the fallen trooper, then grabbed him by the hair, allowing her to slash open his exposed throat with one pass of her blade. The male warrior was engaged with the remaining horseman when Jordan drew close to the battle, his own long sword bare in his right hand. The woman, who Jordan now recognized as an Elf, noticed the approach of the officer, and smiled viciously at her new prey. Jordan saluted with sword upraised as Victoria charged his horse and jumped high into the air. The general waited until her fall placed her in range of his blade, then he swung his weapon at her exposed legs. The Elf woman parried his blow quickly as she landed on his saddle, then she pushed him off of his mount towards the hard earth. Jordan slammed into the grass with a grunt, but managed to block several descending blows from Victoria as she moved off the horse and loomed above her prone victim. Jordan swung his left leg, knocking the Elf woman off of her feet. The general jumped on top of Victoria, then smashed the hilt of his sword into her temple. With the woman unconscious, Jordan staggered to his feet just in time to see Rodger slash open the stomach of the last horseman, his greasy intestines flopping wetly onto the ground. Jordan charged the swordsman, holding his sword high in both hands. Rodger turned to meet the attack, and the two men slammed their blades together with a metallic chime. Jordan slashed and stabbed with his sword in rapid strokes, never giving his opponent a chance to counter-attack. Rodger frantically parried his foe’s strikes, backing away slowly in an effort to get some breathing room. Two soldiers snuck up behind Rodger and leapt at his legs, forcing him to slam into the earth and drop his sword. Jordan wasted no time in smashing his booted foot into Rodger’s face, then kicked him in the side of the head for good measure.

"Disarm these two, then bind them and place them with the other prisoners," gasped Jordan as he leaned heavily on his sword. "Are you alright, sir?" asked an infantryman.

"Yes, just a little winded. I haven’t encountered such a pair of able swordsman in quite a while," replied Jordan breathlessly. With Rodger and Victoria captured, the remainder of the looting was uneventful. Then, as Jordan led the remnant of his squad south, one soldier stayed behind long enough to torch the remaining tents and leave the black market camp as a smoldering ruin.

"Prepare the men for another charge," ordered General Dyth as he watched the last catapult rounds smash into the smoking battlements of Sentinel Keep. "Yes, sir!" replied the messenger before he began running towards the catapult emplacements.

"Two days of continual bombardment should have taken the fight out of the little bitch," muttered Dyth as he returned to his tent to retrieve his swordbelt and horse. The silver-haired soldier belted on his weapon, then climbed stiffly onto his mount. Dyth rode slowly east to where his men sat patiently, awaiting another chance to take the enemy stronghold. Nodding encouragement to his troops, Dyth halted his steed, and gazed speculatively at the damaged walls of the fortress.

"Attennnntion!" shouted General Dyth with a reverberating roar. Over eight hundred men rose and stood as stiffly as statues. "Charrrge weapons!" ordered Dyth. Swords, spears, and bows were made ready. "Marrrch!" commanded the general with a downward slash from his sword. The Army of Night began its second advance towards Sentinel as the sun began its ascent into the clear, blue-tinged sky.

The invading army made steady progress towards the fortress until they entered arrow range. As the soldiers marched relentlessly, war arrows and large ballista bolts rained upon them, piercing armor and rending flesh with impartial intent. Dozens died in the charge, but the bulk of the army reached the walls and began to erect ladders and throw up ropes. Defenders upon the battlements rained down arrows upon the attackers and pushed the flimsy ladders from the wall, but several died as archers on the ground shot up their own shafts, and a few skilled artillerymen launched solid shot projectiles at the defenders, destroying whole sections of defensive wall. With a scream of anger, Governor Nightmane led a squad of reinforcements upon the wall, throwing back the attackers and organizing missile barrages at those upon the ground. Skilled throwers were armed with fire bombs, fragile flasks filled with alcohol, and ordered to lob their projectiles at the milling infantry. Fiery death rained down on the attackers, and men ran screaming in full retreat as their flesh burned away from the assault. The invaders began to lose morale as scores of men died from lethal arrows and immolating bombs. With whole squads running away to the west, Nightmane opened the western gates and led another charge into the confused Army of Night. The raven-haired woman rode a white and brown mare into hostile groups of infantry, cutting them to pieces with her shining long sword. The jewels embedded within the hilt of her blade glowed brightly with an inner light as she slashed and beheaded any enemy within her reach. The Royal Army garrison followed their beautiful leader, breaking up enemy formations and forcing the attackers into a complete rout. General Dyth grinded his teeth together, then led a company of his men in a direct charge towards Nightmane. The two groups slammed into each other, swinging and stabbing with their blades in a raucous cacophony. Dyth cut several soldiers down as they charged his horse, then he forced his way in front of Governor Nightmane, who was skillfully killing his soldiers with cool efficiency.

"This ends now, bitch!" spit out Dyth as he slashed open the neck of Nightmane’s mare. The horse cried out piteously as it fell, disgorging the female warrior in a tangle of limbs. As Dyth attempted to ride down his hated foe, Nightmane ducked under his steed and cut the saddle girths. General Dyth slid off of his horse with a loud wail, then slammed roughly into the ground. Nightmane waited until the old soldier had regained his feet, then she advanced with her bright sword swinging. Dyth parried her initial blows, then counter-attacked with several quick slashes and lunges. Nightmane evaded his assault, then lashed out at her foe’s armored legs. Sparks flew as the woman’s sword cut deep furrows in Dyth’s black platemail, then with a flick of her wrist, Nightmane slashed across the old man’s torso, scoring a deep wound in his right arm. Dyth grunted with pain and nearly dropped his sword, but he quickly switched his weapon to his left hand and attacked Nightmane, ripping her white surcoat and cutting into her left shoulder. The governor winced, but kept her guard up as the general rained a serious of blows upon her. With fatigue and loss of blood sapping her strength, Nightmane quickly ducked forward and kicked the back of Dyth’s left knee with her boot. The silver-haired officer attempted to stay on his feet, but failed, slamming loudly into the ground. The governor stabbed forward with her blade, impaling the prone general in the stomach. Dyth screamed in agony, then slashed forward with his own sword, cutting deeply into Nightmane’s left ankle. As the raven-locked woman fell, Dyth climbed unsteadily to his feet and loomed over his enemy.

"Fucking slut!" screamed General Dyth as he slammed his boot into her stomach. "I’m going to cut your fucking throat out!" The bleeding soldier kicked Nightmane repeatedly in the stomach and ribs, then raised his bloody sword unsteadily with both hands.

"I’ll see you in Hell, bitch," spat out Dyth as he plunged his sword downwards. The panting woman on the ground rolled out of the sword’s path, then jumped forward as the general tried to pry his sword out of the ground. "You talk too much, windbag," muttered Nightmane as she skewered Dyth on her blade, the weapon’s tip emerging from the armored man’s back. "Noo..oo," groaned General Dyth as he slid off of the woman’s sword and fell bonelessly to the earth.

Nightmane stood slowly erect as her soldiers formed a screen around her and fought off the remaining attackers. With their leader dead, the Army of Night lost all cohesion and retreated chaotically to the west. "Shall we pursue, my lady?" asked a blood-smeared officer. "No. Secure the area around Sentinel, then return to man the walls. Get some repair crews to start work on the battlements, we may need them soon," replied Nightmane softly before she began limping towards the open gates.

Two days passed uneventfully as General Jordan and his men rode south towards Sentinel Keep. Before the soldiers and their prisoners came within sight of the fortress, Jordan sent a scouting party to see how the siege fared. The two troopers returned quickly and reported that the entire Army of Night was gone, and the flag of King Flannar still flew above the Keep. Jordan sat in quiet disbelief for several moments, then ordered the men to move west, in the direction of the Chasm. After two more days, the small band of horsemen crossed the immense stone bridge that spanned the Chasm and led to the lands of Emperor Darkblade.

General Jordan led his men into Vanguard Keep, the mighty fortress that protected the Chasm bridge and the entrance to the Emperor’s domain. After seeing that his men received quarters, and making sure that the prisoners were secured, Jordan entered the gloomy castle and searched for its governor. The general found the ruler of the fortress within his quarters, reclining bonelessly in a cushioned chair and drinking deeply from a tall flagon of wine. "Ah, General Jordan, last surviving commander of the Army of Night! Pull up a chair and have some wine!" offered Governor Charron in a slurred voice. "Thank you, governor," accepted Jordan as he slowly sat in a chair near Charron and took a flagon of wine offered to him by a naked slave girl. "Off with you, slut," grunted Charron as he slapped the eighteen year old, red-haired girl on the ass. She giggled lightly, then quickly left the richly appointed chamber.

"I assume from your first remark that General Dyth was killed in the retreat?" inquired Jordan tentatively.

"Yes! The old bastard was killed by a woman no less! That cursed whore called Nightmane stuck him with that magick blade of hers, it went right through his platemail," said Charron morosely.

"Ah. How tragic," replied Jordan without feeling. "He was a good tactician." "For all the good it did him. The Army sustained over forty-percent casualties, not to mention the men who died on the way back here. I kept the bulk of the infantry here, then sent the officers on to the capital to report to the Emperor. I doubt that we’ll see any of them again," observed Charron before he took another deep drink from his flagon. "I captured some prisoners in a camp north of Sentinel. Most of them are thieves and whores, but they may know something that could be useful to us," said Jordan before he drank from his own mug.

"Whores, huh? I might be interested in some of those," muttered Charron thoughtfully.

"The ’ladies’ are all yours. Except for an Elf woman that I captured. She was accompanied by a skilled warrior, but her own fighting abilities were quite exceptional. I plan to take the two of them with me to Abyss when I make my report to the Emperor," replied Jordan.

"It’s your funeral, general," said Charron nonchalantly. "You know how Darkblade takes bad news."

"I think that between Gema’s charm and my eloquence, we can persuade the good Emperor to take an alternate course of action," replied the general confidently.

"Good luck," grunted Governor Charron as he raised his near empty flagon to his weak lips and drained the remaining wine in one gulp.

General Jordan left Vanguard Keep the next morning with Rodger, Victoria, and a few other prisoners secured in a barred prisoner wagon. The journey to Abyss, the capital of Darkblade’s empire, took six days. Jordan kept a steady pace, and fed the prisoners just enough food to stay alive. Victoria stayed huddled next to Rodger during the entire trip, while the raider himself watched for an opportunity to escape. No window of opportunity appeared, however, and all too soon the party reached the impregnable walls of Abyss. The capital city was huge, with dark, grey towers and the looming palace of the Emperor to the west. A tall range of mountains guarded the northern face of the city, with barren desolation surrounding the remainder of the capital. Large, iron doors opened outwards to admit Jordan and his "guests". The platemail-garbed officer led the prisoner wagon deep into the city, towards the Emperor’s palace. The palace had its own wall and gate, which opened soundlessly for the returning general of the "Three". With General Dyth gone, only Jordan and Zodan remained to advise the Emperor and lead his armies. Securing the prisoners within the royal dungeons, Jordan walked down the carpeted halls of the palace until he entered the looming, candle-lit audience chamber. Walking down a red carpeted, central aisle, General Jordan approached the dais with the Emperor’s throne and knelt respectfully. "Hail to Emperor Darkblade! Long live the Empire!" declared Jordan loudly.

"Rise and report, general," replied Blackheart Darkblade neutrally. "My lord, the attack on Sentinel Keep has failed. General Dyth sent me out with a squad of men before the last engagement to scout for possible flanking maneuvers by the Royal Army. I discovered no soldiers, but I did come across a large thieves’ camp. I killed most of the scum, looted their tents, and captured several valuable prisoners. I brought some of them here for questioning, to gain information about King Flannar’s realm," said Jordan plainly.

"Very commendable, General," responded Darkblade emotionlessly. "I see that my incursion into the East was not totally wasted. I executed the fools that first reported to me about this debacle, but I shall allow you to live. Do you know why?"

"No, my lord," said Jordan nervously. "Why do you spare me?" "My sister has a plan. She wants to awaken the Dark Dragon, who is reputed to sleep somewhere in the Northern mountains. She will need an escort as she undertakes this foolish quest, and I want you to lead it. Do you think that you can do this service for me?" asked Darkblade coolly. "Yes! Of course, my lord!" gushed Jordan as he saluted fervently. "Good. You are dismissed now. Princess Gema will give you the details of the mission," remarked Darkblade with a wave of his hand. Bowing low at the waist, General Jordan quickly turned and left the cold audience chamber to see the Princess.

After bathing and eating a hasty meal, Jordan left his chambers dressed in a loose black tunic and baggy pants. He wore only a dagger in his belt, and another hidden in his left sleeve. The officer climbed a tall, spiral staircase that ascended one of the tallest towers of the palace. Reaching the top of the stairwell, Jordan knocked on the iron-banded door before him. "Come in!" shouted a female voice from inside.

Jordan tentatively pushed open the wooden portal, then gazed in wonder at the complicated glass tubes and bottles that sat upon a huge table that practically filled up the room. Gema stood behind the glass apparatus measuring a small sample of yellow powder, her long, red hair tied in a ponytail that hung down her back. She was dressed in the plain, black robes of a sage or alchemist. The beautiful, young woman bit her red, lower lip lightly as she added a blue powder with the yellow, then carefully brushed the mixture into a glass beaker. "I suppose that my dear brother sent you here about my plan?" asked Gema as she set the beaker above a small flame.

"Yes, my lady. I am to lead your escort," replied Jordan. "I suppose that a few muscle men may prove useful," remarked Gema with a laviscious grin.

"They may at that," said Jordan with a smile of his own. Gema glanced up at Jordan with her blazing green eyes, then returned her attention to the smoking beaker. The red-haired woman began to chant softly, concentrating intently on the powder. Wispy strands of red vapor emerged from the mixture, taking on the shape of a small humanoid. As Gema’s chanting grew louder and more intense, the apparition grew larger, forming small horns on its head and a long, sharp nose. The creature of smoke hissed evilly as Gema’s words grew faster, then the being started to reach out towards the young woman. Before Gema’s outstretched hand could touch smoky being, a loud pop filled the room, and the vapor vanished.

"Damn it to Hell!" screamed Gema as she pounded the table with her small fists.

"What happened?" asked a wide-eyed Jordan.

"I tried to summon a minor demon, but I couldn’t keep the portal open long enough. There isn’t enough magick in the world to sustain a summoning," hissed out Gema as she untied her red hair and let it spill across her slim shoulders. "I’m sorry," replied Jordan, since he couldn’t think of a better response. "It’s not your fault," said Gema with a smile as she walked to the west side of the room and sat down heavily in a padded chair. While Jordan moved to join her, the young woman poured two glasses of wine, then drank deeply from one of them. The general took the second glass and saluted the Princess, then sipped lightly.

"What do you think about the mission?" asked Gema curiously. "I’ve studied the ancient histories," began Jordan. "I know that hundreds of years ago, dragons did roam the world and battle mankind. I believe that the books told of a powerful mage who captured the last two dragons and sent them into hibernation."

"Not A mage, THE Mage," corrected Gema. "He used powerful magicks to force the dragons to sleep, then sealed the magick so that no one could ever use it again. Since that time, no one has been able to use spells or summon astral beings. Only the science of alchemy has survived, but its power is limited." "What will awakening the Dark Dragon achieve?" asked Jordan. "For one thing, the Dragon can destroy Sentinel Keep and open the way for my brother’s army," replied Gema with an eager smile. "Second, I hope to use the Dragon as a means of freeing magick into the world again. With the Seal destroyed, I will be able to cast spells, and become a power unto myself. I might even conquer the world before my dear brother," giggled the young woman. "Conquer the world, huh?" whispered Jordan as he gazed out a nearby window with a faraway look.

"Would you like to help me rule the world?" asked Gema huskily as she sat lightly on the general’s lap, then leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. Jordan crushed the young woman against his muscled torso, pressing his lips firmly against her’s. Gema wrapped her slim arms around Jordan’s neck, then inserted her small tongue into his mouth, exploring it lovingly. After several minutes of lustful kissing, the couple rose from the chair, and the Princess led Jordan by the hand into her large bedroom. The young woman pushed the general lightly onto the frilly bedcover, then pulled her black robes over her head. Jordan ran his eyes over Gema’s delicious, naked body as he unfastened his belt and let it fall to the floor. The naked girl helped the soldier take off his pants and tunic, then climbed onto his crotch and pushed him onto his back. Jordan reached forward to caress Gema’s round, firm breasts, which made the girl moan with delight. He squeezed and stroked her creamy flesh as the girl slid her pussy across his member.

Gema slid her crotch across Jordan’s stomach and chest, then rubbed her cunt over the man’s lips. Jordan licked across the lips of Gema’s pussy, then sucked lightly on her folds of cunt flesh. The naked girl moaned loudly as the soldier ran his tongue up the opening of her snatch, then inserted his probe deeply into her throbbing vagina. Gema thrust her crotch wantonly on the man’s mouth as he pushed his tongue in and out of her tight love hole. The girl panted lightly as Jordan sucked her pussy flesh, then nuzzled inside her cunt with his mouth. After the general had licked the inside of Gema’s fuck tunnel, he pushed her against one of the looming bedposts and tied her wrists above her head with a silk cord.

Jordan kissed the Princess deeply on the lips, tasting her sweet saliva with his tongue. The naked man licked Gema’s slim neck and shoulders, then leaned forward to suck hungrily on her heaving tits. Gema moaned loudly and licked her moist, red lips as Jordan sucked deeply on her mounds. After sucking the girl’s nipples into hardness, Jordan kissed down the length of her firm stomach, then planted one lingering kiss on her red-haired snatch. The soldier stood up on the bed, then grabbed a handful of Gema’s long, red hair and forced her mouth onto his erect penis. The naked girl moaned softly as she took the man’s hot meat past her wet lips. Gema’s mouth moved up and down Jordan’s rod, taking the tool deeply into her throat. The general held tightly onto the girl’s head and pushed it roughly onto his cock, fucking her mouth with grunts of pleasure. When his rod was engorged and throbbing, Jordan pulled his tool out of Gema’s hungry mouth, then quickly untied her from the bedpost. After kissing Gema roughly on the lips, the soldier tied the girl’s wrists to a carved wooden lattice at the head of the bed. He opened her slim thighs apart, then ran his erect cock across her wet pussy.

"Do you want it, my lady?" asked Jordan teasingly.

"Yes! Fuck me with your blade, my lord!" panted Gema lustfully.

"Beg for it," grinned Jordan.

"Please! Please fuck my pussy, lord!" screamed Gema as her firm breasts heaved up and down.

Jordan grabbed the naked girl by her shapely hips, then thrust his cock into her tight cunt. Gema moaned in sexual ecstasy as she pushed her crotch harder against the general’s rod. The naked couple panted and groaned loudly as they fucked each other eagerly. Jordan squeezed the young woman’s ass firmly as he pushed again and again into her warm vagina. Gema used the headboard to push against as she grinded her cunt on the man’s crotch. Jordan shot his load into her sucking love tunnel, but continued to thrust his cock deeply into the girl’s pussy until she shouted with her orgasm, coating his tool with her honey.

The general backed away from the bound, naked woman, then lay panting upon his knees.

"Untie me, Jordan," ordered the Princess sharply. With a sigh, the general untied Gema from the headboard, then watched in surprise as she crawled forward on her naked stomach and began to suck hungrily on his cock. Jordan grunted with pleasure as the Princess licked their combined jism from his member, then sucked deeply on the head of his cock and on his balls.

"You really are a slut," whispered Jordan affectionately. "Yep," muttered Gema before she resumed devouring his cock with her wet, red lips.

Rodger and Victoria lay chained to the walls of the cold, dark, dungeon cell. Facing each other across the room, Rodger smiled ruefully as his arms dangled above his head.

"Not exactly the southern isles, is it?" asked the raider lightly.

"This isn’t funny, Rodger," muttered Victoria with a frown. "You really need to develop a sense of humor, Vicci. It must be an Elven thing," observed Rodger.

Before the irritated Elf woman could reply, the iron door of the dungeon cell opened noisily, and two burly guards dressed in chainmail entered the room and moved forward to release the prisoners. Rodger and Victoria had their wrists manacled behind their backs, then were pushed roughly through the cell door and down a dimly-lit hallway. After climbing a spiral staircase and led down several different passageways, the duo was escorted into a sumptuous dining chamber. The raider and the Elf woman were pushed into soft chairs at the far end of the table facing each other, while Emperor Darkblade ate quietly at the head of the table in a high-backed chair. The handsome, raven-haired ruler finished his well-done steak and drank from a golden goblet of wine, then cleaned his lips with a white, cloth napkin.

"I trust that my dungeons were to your liking?" asked Darkblade nonchalantly. "It was quiet, but the decor was atrocious. I’d have your decorator hung at the earliest opportunity," replied Rodger with a grin. "I’ll take that under advisement," said Darkblade. "Now I something more important to discuss."

"What?" asked Victoria impatiently.

"I’m getting to that," admonished Darkblade with a petulant frown. "In case you don’t know, I have a sister, her name is Gema. She has long been a student of magick and history, and now she believes that she can return sorcery to the world. To do that, she needs to free the Dark Dragon, a creature of ancient myth."

"My people know of the Dark Dragon, it is a being of pure evil," said Victoria with a shudder.

"I don’t care about its personality, only its power. My dear sister is confident that she can control the beast and command its awesome abilities. With the Dark Dragon, I will be able to rule the world, and Gema will be my beautiful Queen," declared Darkblade with burning eyes. "Where do we come in?" inquired Rodger skeptically. "My sister will require an escort. My general was impressed with your sword skill, so I want you to accompany Gema with the squad I’ve assembled," replied the Emperor.

"Surely you have your own swordsmen to go with the Princess," remarked Victoria.

"True, but they aren’t expendable, you are," answered Darkblade with a cold smile. "If you go with the expedition, I am prepared to reward you generously with gold and jewels. If you refuse my offer, I’ll have your heads cut off within the hour. What’s your decision?"

"We’ll go," replied Rodger without emotion.

The following morning, a small group of thirteen riders left the sprawling city of Abyss and began its long journey north. Princess Gema led the way, following the ancient instructions written in the histories. Two muscular soldiers rode on either side of the Princess, with Rodger and Victoria close behind. The remaining eight horsemen rode in two columns behind the raiders. Two days passed uneventfully as the party rode across the desolate plains of Darkblade’s domain towards the towering Northern mountains. On the afternoon of the third day, Gema’s band reached the foothills of the range, and she began the long, treacherous ascent. An uneven, twisting trail led to the higher elevations, just barely wide enough for horses to traverse. Two more days were spent climbing the mountains, with nights spent in cold, shallow caves. Gema went forward with sparkling eyes, obsessed with freeing the worm and freeing magick into the world once more. The two raiders watched out for each other and tried not to fall to their deaths from the narrow path. At last, with the sun descending beyond their view to the west, the group found an ancient cave with a rune-inscribed doorway. Gema left her snorting horse, and walked up to the entryway, reading the runes with intense concentration.

"What do the writings say?" asked Rodger curiously.

"Not to awaken the evil that has been imprisoned here," replied Gema softly.

"Sounds like good advice," muttered Victoria.

"Silence, Elf!" shouted Gema as she boldly strode into the dark cavern. The Princess’ huge bodyguards quickly followed their mistress, followed by two more soldiers carrying lit torches. The remained troopers followed the torch bearers, but the last two waited until the bandits had entered the cave. Rodger glanced nervously at the rough, stone walls while Victoria walked calmly next to him.

"Is your Elven Sight working?" asked Rodger softly.

"Yes," replied Victoria. "Everything’s clear, so far."

"Makes me wish that I was an Elf sometimes," muttered the raider.

"You have plenty of other talents," whispered the Elf woman with a smirk.

"Thanks, I think," replied Rodger with a frown.

"Shut up, you two!" hissed one of the soldiers behind the bandits. The party made their way down a wide tunnel until they reached an immense iron wall. Runes similar to the ones outside were engraved around the outer edges of the barrier. Gema read them swiftly, then clasped her hands in front of her breasts. Muttering words of magick, the young woman recited the ancient glyphs of opening. A deep, reverberating rumble shook the tunnel, then the iron wall flared with a portal of white light. Smiling with satisfaction, Gema entered the doorway, followed closely by her bodyguards. Rodger and Victoria slowly entered the portal after the soldiers, hands clasped tightly to their weapons. After a moment of blindness, the two raiders could finally see again.

A huge, circular chamber stood before them, the stone walls smooth and glassy.

Gema stood at the edge of a huge pit that plummeted hundreds of feet below. The torches held by the two soldiers reflected their light from the walls, illuminating the entire cavern with a warm glow. At the bottom of the pit slept the Dark Dragon, coiled like a serpent as it breathed lightly. It had the four limbs of a quadruped, with a long tail and elongated snout. Two ebony horns jutted forward from its forehead, and razor-sharp spines ran down the length of its back. The Dragon’s claws reflected the glow of the torches as its deep breaths vibrated the floor and walls of the cavern. Gema smiled like a proud mother watching over her sleeping child, then she took a deep breath and began chanting the words of awakening. Rodger and Victoria looked carefully over the edge of the pit, then stared in wonder at the powerful beast.

A dull rumble began to shake the walls of the cavern as Gema’s chanting grew more urgent and powerful. Bits of rock fell from the ceiling and pelted the alarmed soldiers as the sleeping Dragon began to stir. Fiery, red light started to emanate from the worm as its limbs shook and uncurled. Dark Dragon’s eyes popped open, then the evil creature sat up and roared with pleasure. The cavern shook violently, knocking all of the humans and the Elf off of their feet. Gema crawled to the edge of the pit and smiled with satisfaction as Dark Dragon stretched out its enormous wings and flapped them slowly. Rodger helped Victoria to her feet, then slowly advanced to the side of the Princess.

"Who awakens Dark Dragon?" rumbled the worm as it looked up to gaze balefully at the slim, young sorceress.

"My name is Gema, and by the ancient pact you are sworn to obey me in all things," replied the Princess proudly.

"Yes, I must obey you, mistress," agreed the Dragon reluctantly. "What are your orders?"

"You will fly across the Chasm and destroy a city called Sentinel," commanded Gema firmly. "When you have completed that task, you will go to another city called River Towers and destroy it as well."

"Very well, mistress," acknowledged Dark Dragon before it raised its ebony-scaled head and opened its mouth wide. With a loud intake of breath, the Dragon spat out a stream of violet fire, melting the stone ceiling and opening a pathway for the enormous worm. Flapping its large, black wings, Dark Dragon created a small windstorm as it left the ground and flew like an arrow through the newly-made exit, dislodging shards of rock the size of horses. One unfortunate soldier was crushed like a grape from a piece of falling debris. As the remaining guards scurried for cover at the cavern’s entrance, Rodger grabbed Victoria’s small hand and dragged her into the pit’s depths after him. A small avalanche cascaded from the smoking hole in the ceiling, blocking the entrance to the cave with a wall of immovable rock. After several minutes, the thunder of falling rock subsided, and Gema rose slowly to her feet. "What do we do now, my lady?" asked a disheveled guard tentatively. "We return to the surface and tell my brother that we have succeeded," replied Gema primly as she dusted off her black robes.

"What about the two prisoners?" asked another guard as he pointed to the stone barrier behind them.

"They’re dead, let them rot," dismissed the Princess with a toss of her long, red hair as she led the way back to the surface.

"That was brilliant, Rodger, but warn me next time," muttered Victoria as she clung desperately to the raider.

"Give me a break, I had to think fast," replied Rodger acidly as he pressed his back closer to the rough wall of the pit and tried to keep his footing on the small ledge that thrust out twenty feet below the pit’s opening. "Any ideas on how we get out of here?" asked the Elf woman worriedly. "Well, after all that racket up there, and the fact that none of those thugs looked for us, I think that the cave entrance is not an option," reasoned the bandit. "I guess we go down."

"How will that get us back to the surface?" questioned Victoria. "Maybe we’ll find something useful. After all, this is a dragon’s lair," replied Rodger.

With a sigh, Victoria nodded her head in agreement, then helped the raider uncoil a length of rope and lower it to the bottom of the pit. Nailing the rope to the ledge with an iron spike, Rodger slowly began to climb down the rope hand over hand, followed closely by Victoria. The companions climbed for over an hour, but finally reached the bottom of the pit. Jumping the last five feet to the ground, Rodger landed lightly on his feet, then drew his long sword with a sharp hiss of metal. Victoria landed next to him and drew her own short sword. Carefully, Rodger lit a torch and scanned the bottom of the pit. The floor was completely bare, gleaming and smooth like the upper walls of the cavern. The two bandits searched the pit thoroughly for anything of value, but found nothing. As Victoria knelt down to run her long fingers across the floor, she spotted a knob of rock to her left. Approaching the strange formation slowly, the Elf woman pushed lightly on the stone, and jumped back as a section of wall lowered into the floor. "What did you do?" asked Rodger as he rushed up to the Elf woman’s side.

"I opened a secret door, apparently," whispered Victoria in wonder. "This is something," commented the raider as he carefully led the way into the door and down a tight passageway. After walking several hundred feet, the duo entered another cavern with smooth, gleaming walls. Another Dragon slept in this cave, but it had golden scales and feather-like wings. With a wall-shuddering snort, the worm awoke and gazed at the two companions with amber eyes.

"So you are the two fools who released Dark Dragon? You have no idea of the evil that you unleashed into the world," rumbled the golden Dragon mournfully. "Who are you?" asked Rodger weakly.

"Gold Dragon, who else did you expect?" replied the worm sarcastically. "And now I’m going to have to kill you."

"Wait! We didn’t awaken Dark Dragon! It was a princess named Gema. She’s the sister of Emperor Darkblade, who forced us to guard the girl on her journey!" exclaimed Victoria quickly.

"Darkblade? That name seems familiar, somehow. Well, if you didn’t awaken Dark Dragon, I guess that you can live. Stand back, I need some casting room," said Gold Dragon before he sat up and began to sing in a deep, bass voice. The raiders listened in awe as the golden worm swayed to the music of its magick and moved its wide wings in slow, sweeping gestures. A golden orb of light surrounded the three beings, and with a painful, white flash, all three prisoners teleported out of the cave and re-appeared at the surface entrance of the lair.

"Great, they got here before us," muttered Rodger as he observed the absence of the party’s horses.

"Don’t worry, I can give you a short ride somewhere," offered Gold Dragon as he sniffed the pure mountain air loudly. "Where do you want to go?" "Definitely not to Sentinel," said Victoria with a frown. "Gold Dragon, please take us to River Towers, a large city to the east," asked Rodger politely.

"Consider it done," agreed the Dragon as it leaned down till its head rested on the stone ground.

With some reluctance, Rodger and Victoria climbed on the Dragon’s back, then held on tightly to its dull spines as it stretched out its feathery wings and dived down the face of the mountain. As the two riders screamed in terror, Gold Dragon grinned and began the long flight to the east.

A knock on the iron-banded door tore Governor Nightmane from her writing. Sighing quietly, the beautiful woman cleared her throat and said, "Enter!" A young soldier opened the door and held it for General Sath, who strode boldly into the spartan office. "General! A pleasure as always," greeted Nightmane as she stood up and offered her right hand.

"Governor, you performed magnificently during the recent siege," congratulated General Sath as he shook Nightmane’s hand, then sat heavily in the chair facing her desk. "The arrival of my army is an anti-climax after these recent events."

"The battle may be over, but your men are still welcome," smiled Nightmane as she returned to her seat and folded her hands upon her desk. "I have the feeling that Darkblade isn’t done with his mischief just yet." "I agree, Governor," nodded Sath. "That’s why I’m leaving four divisions with you, that’s over sixteen hundred men, plus support units." "If you have any military engineers with you, I could sure use them. The western wall took quite a beating, and the battlements are a mess. I’ve got work crews working day and night on the damage, put it’s slow work," said Nightmane.

"I’ve got a company of engineers with me. I’ll assign them to your command before I go," promised Sath.

"Thank you, General," acknowledged Nightmane with a warm smile.

"No problem," replied Sath as he rose from his seat and saluted briefly. "With things under control here, I’ll return to the capital and report to the King. I intend to recommend that you get a commendation, governor. You did the Royal Army proud."

"Thank you, sir," said Governor Nightmane. "I was just doing my job." "Keep it up, and be careful, that bastard Darkblade can be stubborn when he wants to be," remarked Sath before he walked to the door and let himself out.

Two days passed after General Sath left the Keep, time which Nightmane put to good use by repairing as much of the fortress’s wall as possible. The four divisions of the Royal Army left by Sath camped outside of the Keep, training, patrolling the area, and basically looking busy. As the sun began its descent west on the second day, a huge winged shape took form on the western horizon. Guards stationed on Sentinel’s parapets failed to notice the object until it released a wall- shuddering roar of hate and fury. Dark Dragon dropped from the sky like a diving falcon and flew dangerously close to many of the city’s towers. Civilians screamed in terror and fled into their homes as the evil worm glided to the eastern edge of the Keep, then banked left and flew back to the Royal Army stationed next to the western wall. Soldiers shot out from their tents and readied their weapons as Dark Dragon flew towards them and sucked in a loud breath. Before anyone could move, the black reptile spewed a stream of violet flames out of its fanged maw and immolated squads of helpless soldiers. Screams of agony and the smell of charred flesh filled the air as Dark Dragon roared with malicious laughter and spun circles around the army camp, spitting short bursts of flame at any group of men nearby. Alarms rang throughout Sentinel as Governor Nightmane buckled on her swordbelt and ran swiftly from her office to the western wall of her city. The streets were remarkably clear of people as the lithe woman reached the tall barrier and quickly climbed a staircase to the battlements. The raven-haired commander grasped the stone crenallation tightly as she watched hundreds of men die in violet pools of flame. A few archers and crossbow men managed to fire bolts at the ravaging dragon, but the missiles were as ineffectual as gnats against the worm’s steel-hard skin. "Are the ballistas loaded?" asked Nightmane.

"Yes, mistress. We can fire at anytime," replied the commander of artillery.

"Then fire at will," ordered the governor.

The gruff commander nodded in acknowledgment, then ran to the nearest ballista and sighted towards Dark Dragon. The soldier threw his hand down once, signaling the crew to fire.

With a sharp twang, the huge, pointed bolt leapt towards the reptile, then smashed into wooden shards against the evil creature’s armor. Dark Dragon grunted once in irritation, then flew towards the battlements and released a large stream of fire. Soldiers screamed as their flesh boiled off of their bones and they fell like torches into the courtyard. Nightmane ducked behind a battlement as violet flames shot over her and illuminated the darkening sky. The coldly detached woman drew her enchanted blade, then swung it gracefully at Dark Dragon as it passed overhead her position. The magical long sword sliced through the worm’s armor like a knife through hot wax, spilling the dragon’s green blood across the defensive wall’s surface. Dark Dragon roared in pain, then shot up into the reddish sky to gain altitude. "Open the western gates and get as many wounded men inside as you can!" shouted Nightmane to a nearby officer.

"Yes, ma’am!" replied the young man fervently before he ran down the stairs to the body-strewn courtyard.

The beautiful governor of Sentinel stood firmly upon the battlements of her city as Dark Dragon descended from the sky and roared loudly in defiance. Nightmane brandished her glowing sword with both hands as the obsidian worm spat a raging column of fire at her. The violet flames surrounded Nightmane and began melting the stone floor beneath her, but she remained untouched by the lethal barrage. The immense dragon landed gracefully on the battlement in front of Nightmane and slashed out with its forward, right claw. The slim woman dodged the blow, then ran forward and stabbed Dark Dragon in the stomach with her sword. The evil creature screamed in agony as it leaned forward and snapped its fangs at Nightmane, slashing a deep furrow in her side. The dark-haired woman grimaced in pain, then deflected another claw strike with her blade. Dark Dragon swung its right wing forward, smashing its appendage into Nightmane and sending her flying down towards the hard courtyard floor. The brave governor slammed into the unforgiving stone with breaking force, then screamed as her bones shattered like twigs.

Dark Dragon smiled with evil pleasure, then fluttered softly to the ground next to Nightmane’s broken body. The worm lowered its head until it could stare at the bleeding woman with its violet eyes, then it shot forward and bit her with its razor-sharp teeth. Nightmane screamed as her legs and lower torso were engulfed by the dragon’s mouth, then she gurgled softly and dropped her jeweled sword. Dark Dragon consumed the helpless woman, then spat out her armor distastefully. Wincing with pain, the black reptile spread out its wings and took to the air, then it spun to face the Keep’s wall and launched a stream of crackling flame. The tall barrier grew cherry red as the dragon’s flames caressed it, then the wall began to grow soft and melt like warm caramel. Soldiers screamed as they fell helplessly to the ground, then the people of the city began to panic as stray flames caught homes and stores, setting them on fire.

Thick pillars of smoke ascended into the sky as Dark Dragon flew around the city, torching buildings and frying any groups of humans that it saw. Sentinel became a hellish killing ground as the evil worm destroyed all signs of life, laughing loudly as it relished the suffering it inflicted.

Princess Gema rode sedately through the gates of Abyss and smiled softly as General Jordan waited for her on his own stallion. "Worried about me?" asked the lovely young woman sweetly. "Always, my love," replied Jordan softly as he leaned forward and kissed Gema lingeringly on the lips.

"Then why didn’t you come with me as my brother commanded?" inquired the girl with a gleam in her eye.

"Uh, I had some things to do," replied Jordan hesitantly.

"Well, you owe me one, and I want to collect," said Gema with a sultry smile.

"I am yours to command," acknowledged the general with a short bow. Gema nodded once, then flicked her horse’s reins and shot ahead of Jordan on her way to the palace.

"Everything went perfectly," said Gema as she stood before the Emperor’s throne with her small hands clasped behind her back. "Excellent. So Dark Dragon is attacking Sentinel now?" asked Darkblade eagerly.

"Yes, my brother. The city should be in ruins within hours," replied the red-haired girl with a smile.

"Finally, my invasion of the East will not be stopped, all of the land will belong to me!" said Darkblade happily.

"Yes, my brother," muttered Gema agreeably with a blink of her eyes. "Let me repay you for your efforts, dear sister," offered Darkblade as he rose from the stone throne and descended the dais to Gema. The slim young woman allowed her brother to lead her from the throne room and down several hallways to the royal apartment wing of the palace. With a clap of gloved hands, Darkblade summoned several serving girls to ready a hot bath for the dirty princess. Gema went to her rooms and quickly removed her grimy traveling clothes, then she put on a blood-red bathrobe that matched her fiery mane of hair. Walking serenely, Gema entered the bathing chamber, where a chest-high wooden tub steamed with heated water. Blackheart waited inside the tub as Gema removed her robe and slid slowly into the scented bath. The handsome Emperor waded over to Gema, who stood near the rim of the tub, and kissed her passionately on the mouth. The young woman moaned softly as her brother caressed her tongue with his own, then gently explored the inside of her throat. Parting from his sister’s lips with a trail of saliva, Blackheart lowered his head to the girl’s round, perfect breasts and began licking her pink nipples until they were hard with arousal. Gema moaned as Blackheart sucked hungrily on her tits, stuffing his mouth with her sweet flesh as she closed her eyes and leaned on the edge of the wooden tub. Blackheart licked down the valley between her heaving breasts, then he kissed along her slim neck until he reached her full, red lips, which he embraced lustfully. Gema wrapped her arms around her brother’s firm waist as he spread her slim legs apart and rubbed his erect penis across her warm pussy. The naked brother and sister kissed wantonly as the young woman wrapped her legs around her lover and allowed him to slowly push his cock into her throbbing fuck hole. Blackheart grunted with pleasure as he felt his tool grasped tightly by Gema’s vagina. The naked Emperor started to thrust deeply into Gema as she panted loudly for breath. Blackheart caressed and fondled his sister’s firm tits as she pushed her crotch harder against her brother’s cock. Both lovers were grunting like animals in heat as Blackheart probed Gema’s cunt with his tool. The red-haired girl licked her red lips with a sensuous tongue as her brother fucked her pussy until it grew slick with her fluids. Blackheart pulled out of his sister’s slit, then spun her around before she could protest. With the naked girl’s firm ass in his view, Blackheart caressed Gema’s tight buttocks, then spread her legs apart and pushed his engorged cock back into her hungry vagina. Gema moaned loudly as her breasts rubbed against the wall of the tub and she grasped the edge tightly with her hands. Long, red, wet hair spilled down her naked back as Gema’s body moved in rhythm to Blackheart’s erotic thrusts. The dark- haired man’s thick rod filled his sister’s love tunnel as he pushed harder and harder into her womb, stimulating her womanhood and making her gush a stream of warm honey into the already warm bath water. Blackheart hugged his naked sister closely to his muscled torso, then licked up her naked back as his cock shot its load deeply into the naked girl’s pussy. Gema moaned loudly as she orgasmed with her brother, then she hung her head down and panted for air. Blackheart slapped her bare bottom lightly, then pulled the naked girl’s head back and kissed her lustfully on the lips, licking her mouth slowly with his tongue.

"You shall make a wonderful Queen," whispered Blackheart as he caressed Gema’s soft, red lips.

Gold Dragon sailed gracefully on its large, feathery wings as it traveled swiftly to the east. Rodger and Victoria clung desperately to the shining worm’s furry mane as it flew hundreds of feet above the ground. Attempting to take his mind off of the frightening altitude, Rodger turned his gaze to the southern horizon, and spied several columns of black smoke rising into the sky. "That’s in the direction of Sentinel," shouted Rodger to his Elven companion.

"It looks like they’re in trouble," replied Victoria in the bandit’s ear. Rodger nodded in agreement, then pulled back hard on a tuft of Gold Dragon’s mane.

"Hey! That hurts!" shouted the dragon irritably. "Turn south and head towards Sentinel Keep, they need help!" ordered Rodger urgently.

"Sure," replied the worm as it banked right and shot like an arrow to the south.

The three travelers flew in silence for a score of minutes until the flaming ruins of Sentinel came into sight. Gold Dragon hissed loudly in anger as it recognized Dark Dragon hurling streams of violet flame into the holocaust below. The metallic-skinned serpent landed some distance from the burning city, and quickly urged its two passengers to get off. Rodger and Victoria jumped nimbly to the ground, then shielded their eyes as Gold Dragon took to the air and flew resolutely to the Keep.

"Let’s hurry over to the fortress, it’ll be safer than standing out in the open when those two monsters go at it," advised Rodger. "Lead the way," replied Victoria with a toss of her long, black hair.

Dark Dragon flew slowly over the destroyed city and made sure it had killed every living thing within the walls. Chuckling with evil pleasure, the black worm barely noticed Gold Dragon as it slammed into the killer’s torso and forced it to crash into a smoking ruin. Dark Dragon roared in pain and anger, then slashed out with its right claw, cutting deeply into Gold Dragon’s hide. Gold screamed in agony, then breathed in and spat a stream of molten flame into Dark Dragon’s face. Serpent flesh melted like hot wax as Dark Dragon pushed Gold away and batted the flames out with its claws. Gold Dragon shot a burst of Mana bolts from its left claw, and the magickal darts slashed painfully into Dark’s chest and flanks. Dark Dragon scrambled away on all four legs, then turned abruptly and summoned oily tentacles from its skin that shot forward and wrapped around Gold’s body. The shining dragon grunted in pain as the black limbs squeezed it in a vice-like grip. Gold opened its fanged maw and shot another flame strike at Dark Dragon, forcing the evil serpent to back away and release its magical restraints.

Snarling with hate, Dark Dragon stretched out its bat-like wings and took to the air, hovering over the burning city as it spewed columns of deadly flame at its prone opponent.

Gold Dragon summoned a magick shield to deflect the fire attacks, then shot into the air after its enemy and cast a lightning bolt at the fluttering worm. Dark screeched in pain as the blue lightning bolt slashed its hide open on its left side, sending gobs of steaming flesh to the ground with wet splashes. Hovering unsteadily on its wings, Dark Dragon clasped its claws together and summoned a ray of pure evil that shot forward and impaled Gold in the chest. Gold Dragon bellowed in agony as the black ray burst out of its back, then the crippled worm fell limply to the hard ground, smashing the Governor’s manor into kindling. Dark Dragon considered finishing the wounded serpent, but its own wounds burned like molten fire. Flapping its reptilian wings weakly, Dark Dragon gained altitude and flew drunkenly to the west. Rodger and Victoria walked cautiously into the burning remains of Sentinel, entering by the western gate and making their way slowly into the west courtyard of the Keep. The two bandits held their swords at the ready as they took in the sight of hundreds of dead bodies and the bonfires that were once homes or shops. As Victoria picked through the rubble of a destroyed jewelry shop, Rodger noticed a gleaming object on the cobblestone ground of the courtyard. Approaching the strange object carefully, the grizzled fighter finally recognized the item as a long sword. Sheathing his own weapon, Rodger gingerly picked up the shining sword and marveled at its beauty. Sapphires gleamed on the weapon’s hilt and pommel, while elegant runes were inscribed along the length of the blade. The entire sword glowed with a warm, greenish light, which made Rodger conclude that the blade was magickal. "What’cha got there?" asked Victoria as she stuffed a couple of rings in her beltpouch and walked over to her companion and lover. "It appears to be an enchanted sword. You rarely find such a fine weapon just lying in a courtyard somewhere," replied Rodger wryly. "True. Say, didn’t the governor of Sentinel have a magick sword? I think that her name was Nightmane," said the lovely Elf woman thoughtfully. Rodger nodded at the comment, then turned left to spot the crumpled ruins of Nightmane’s platemail.

"I think Dark Dragon got to her and ended her career," said the bandit softly. "Life’s a bitch," replied Victoria with a shrug as she walked to the other side of the courtyard and began searching another ruin. "I’ll try to avenge you, governor, and I will give your sword a name, Nightbane, the instrument of Dark Dragon’s demise," swore Rodger with a predatory grin.

Princess Gema sat within a large, padded chair and read a leather-bound book near a roaring fire as General Jordan entered the room quietly. The armored war leader walked to a nearby table to pour himself a glass of red wine, then he went to a chair opposite the beautiful girl and sat down with a sigh. "What are you reading?" inquired the general curiously. "An ancient history. It tells of how the Mage sealed away magick from the world and how it might one day be freed again," replied the red-haired girl as she continued to read the book.

"I thought that magick was free once Dark Dragon had been awakened," said Jordan before he took a swallow from his glass. "That’s just one requirement. Now, I have to sail west to an island and release the Seal that prevents magick from being accessed by mages," responded Gema as she softly closed the old book and set it on a nearby stand. "When are you leaving?" asked Jordan as he regarded the princess. "After Dark Dragon returns from its mission. I need to make sure that my dear brother is occupied before I can begin my journey, and this time, you are going with me," emphasized the slim girl with a bitter smile.

"I wouldn’t dream of letting you go alone," protested Jordan lightly. "Good, I would miss your cock dearly," said Gema with a lustful grin as she rose from her chair and knelt in-between Jordan’s armored legs. The general helped Gema remove his platemail codpiece, then grasped the arms of his chair as the fiery-haired girl released his penis and licked the head softly with her wet tongue. Jordan groaned with pleasure as Gema licked up and down his hardening shaft, then twirled her tongue around the tip of his rod. The lovely girl moaned with arousal as she took the engorged cock into her mouth and pressed it deeply into her throat, filling her orifice with the grunting man’s meat. Gema’s moist, red lips clasped tightly around Jordan’s rod and caressed up and down its length, making her lovely head rise and fall pleasantly. The general panted softly as Gema sucked hungrily on his hot meat, then licked down the shaft to kiss and lick his round balls. Jordan felt an orgasm building within his tool as Gema ran her warm tongue up his cock, then sucked deeply on the head of his penis, tasting the pre-cum in her mouth. With a series of jerks, Jordan gasped as he shot a stream of jism into Gema’s open mouth, then he watched as she swallowed his cum with relish before licking the remains from the tip of his cock and along the shaft.

"I would definitely miss your cock," whispered the princess huskily as she licked his cream from her sensuous, red lips, then returned to her chair to resume reading her book.

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